When the five Iroquois nations began warring with each other after generations of peace, only Hiawatha was brave enough to defy the evil chief Atotarho. Hiawatha worked with Tekanawita to bring about the Great Peace and to establish the Iroquois Confederacy. Mohawk author and artist Taylor drew on stories she heard from elders in her retelling of the Great Peace, which is illustrated with full-page paintings of the chiefs, the council meeting, and the land of the Iroquois nations. The People of the Longhouse trace their confederacy back more than 1,500 years, and Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were inspired by the confederacy and drew upon its principles as they developed a democratic government for the U.S. Use this strong title to introduce Iroquois history or studies of democracies.

In a style reminiscent of oral storytelling, the author weaves the legend of the Confederacy of the Five Nations. At times, the dialogue and flow are stiff, and the dark colors in the illustrations sometimes make details difficult to see. A short chapter follows the legend offering historical background about the Iroquois nations and the particular events in the story.

Gr 6 Up-Taylor gives the folk story of Hiawatha a historical foundation and cultural clarity. The events surrounding the collaboration of two chiefs, the Onandaga Hiawatha and Tekanawita of the Mohawk, to upset the tyrant Atotarho are related simply and abound with graphic details of Native life. They vary from descriptions of clothing, food, and daily life to harsh, cruel practices of war, which are accurate for the times and Native American practice, and create a complete picture of the people and era. Hiawatha endured his village's murder of his daughters to force him on the psychic and physical journeys necessary to the accomplishment of peace. Each chapter includes one full-page illustration done in acrylic on canvas in a slightly naive style. .Sentences are not long, and the writing is eloquent and poetically rhythmic.-Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.